Fired with that 'anything-can-turn-up-anywhere' enthusiasm following an early morning visit to Moses Gate CP (57 Swans, 3 Teal, 1 Wigeon as well as the Gannet) I visited Roman Lakes, which is a similar sized patch of water, although heavily disturbed as it is mainly used as a fishing pool.

Main Lake: Amazed to find 7 Teal and 2 WIGEON. (This is only the 2nd sighting of Wigeon in Stockport Borough this year following a pair at Reddish vale in February).Usual numbers of Coot and Moorhen plus 1 Cormorant.

Main Lake:Many young Coot and Moorhens with 1 adult Coot building a new nest.1 Juv GC Grebe but adults not seenPair of Mute Swans now have just 1 cygnet2 GS woodpeckersNuthatch and JayJuvenile Wrens, LT Tits, Robins and Chiffchaffs

North Lake:1 Moorhen only. I don't understand why this well vegetated pool is so unattractive to wildfowl, unlike the busy Main Lake, which is swarming with visitors and fishermen. It looks ideal for a Garganey or some such so I'll keep looking

Hi,I suspect this is a problem with specimen anglers using heavy gauge nylon line.Brenda and I are Carp fishers of 20 years, so whenever we become a concern with the local birdlife we back- lead the lines, pinning them down to the lake bed. Perhaps the owner of the lake could make this a prerequisite for lines over 3 lb breaking strain. Un fortunately breaks happen now and again, usually due to poor knots, ergo lack of experience!!. The use of safety clips etc., will reduce the likelyhood of birds getting caught up in any loose line. Hope this helps,Brenda and Paul Owen.

it's not only discarded line, but line attached to rods which catches on the rings as the swans swim through the line, in the vast majority of cases this results in a broken line and a swan entangled in what has now become "discarded" line.

not a situation that any decent angler will want to encounter but one which nevertheless happens, though not with unringed birds and even so extremely infrequently with ringed ones. i have seen it happen 4 times in 35 years as an angler. the more freequent ocurrence is that a bird will find an anglers bait more before the fish do and eat it, this has happened to me personaly about 6 times(not all swan). fortunately in all but one case i managed to land the bird and retrieve the hook, on one occasion only by my angling partner wading chest deep into a lake, the swan demonstrated it's appreciation of being saved from being tethered by turning round and biting him on the nose.

so i can understand the desire to consider the safety of the birds over the desire to put rings on them..

10 years? Surely much less? The last cygnets all died close together in time when more or less fully grown. In the past the owner Bernard has usually been very cooperative wrt to Swans, but I suspect he relies on his day ticket revenue from anglers. Most ponds in Stockport are heavily fished and Swans in particular are very unwelcome with anglers to such an extent that we have had persecution of several pairs at other locations to my knowledge.Is there a problem anywhere else with discarded tackle catching on rings, or is this a case of confusion between causes?

Good news - the pair of Swans are tending 3 cygnets. Also 2 very vocal juv Great-crested Grebes and many young Coots and Moorhens. Grey Wagtail at Bottom's Bridge.

Earlier this year I was asked by NW Swan Study Group if I could approach the owner for permission to ring the cygnets and I did this today. He was surprisingly anti with the argument that they "are always having to get a boat out to rescue birds that get the rings tangled up in fishing line".

I did consider asking how many unringed birds were snagged, as only a very small proportion of birds would be ringed, but realised it wasn't worth pursuing the matter. (Sorry Steve )

But you have to add on the number of eggs x 2, John (as they only lay every other day) so you could add 12 days for 6 eggs. Incubation won't begin till the last egg as they hatch synchronously (or more or less)

went to roman lakes today not expecting too much from the reports on here.

by the time i'd got the camera out the boot we'd seen 3 buzards.2sparrowhawks and a peregrine in a full stoop dive.

gc greebes with2 well grown youngplenty of cootcanadas with goslings at least 10 young some well grown on.2 tree creepers plus one later sighting but may have been one of the previous 2.and a diper on the river.

I buzzard over Windybottom Farm,Kingfisher flying upstream under the Roman Bridge - seems to favour this area,Dipper downstream behind the horse paddocks towards Bottom's bridge& a Grey Wagtail - my first of the year, certainly been a bogey bird for me so far this year, but it brings up 110 species for the year so far.

I an inaccessible valley behind Richmond Farm 2 Green Woodpeckers called frequently. It took 2 hours before I narrowed one down to an isolated tree but even then only a brief sighting as it exited out the back. Never-the-less, a sighting!

Plenty of Longtailed Tits,2 Goldcrest, 1 just past the entrance to the Lakes & 1 at the Strines packhorse bridge.Dipper on the stones beneath the railway bridgeKingfisher at the packhorse bridge, first one i've seen on this stretch of water for a while.